agnostic

Everyday

1. A person who believes that we cannot know for sure whether God exists, so they do not say yes or no. tree →
2. (adjective) Not sure or not deciding about something: «I'm agnostic about pineapple on pizza.» tree →
3. (computers) Working with any kind of system: «a device-agnostic app» works on any phone or computer. tree →

In the lessons

In religion and ethics lessons agnostic is set beside believer (theist) and atheist (someone who believes there is no God); pupils learn to respect all three. In everyday and computer talk it means «not choosing a side». Phrases: «an agnostic», «I'm agnostic about…», «platform-agnostic».

Examples

• My uncle says he is an agnostic: he doesn't know if God is real. tree →
• An atheist says there is no God; an agnostic says we can't be sure. tree →
• Our class learned that Christians, atheists and agnostics can still be good friends. tree →
• I'm agnostic about whether cats or dogs are better. tree →
• The game is platform-agnostic, so it runs on any console. tree →
• She grew up agnostic but later went to church. tree →

Note

Use «an» because it starts with a vowel sound: «an agnostic». Noun for the belief: agnosticism. Trap: agnostic is not the same as atheist. From Greek «a-» (not) + «gnosis» (knowledge).